Wednesday, August 3, 2011

More Teens Die of Heat Stroke – When Will We Demand Better Education OF Our Kids Coaches?

Well, it’s extremely sad to day it happened again. This past week two more teenagers died of heat stroke during summer football practice. In Columbia County, FL a 16 year old boy was found dead at a high school football camp this past Tuesday. Hours later, another 16-year old. Georgia high school football player died in an Atlanta hospital, a week after being admitted suffering what doctors believe was heat exhaustion. Since the young athlete died, it’s pretty safe to say it was heat stroke, not heat exhaustion. In either case, this is a tragedy that is happening all too often and a clear trend is emerging and it seems our children do not appear to be safe in the hands of high school coaches.

After I decided that sports medicine was the direction I wanted my career to take, I started volunteering at local beach volleyball tournaments and triathlons. I had been putting in my time with more experienced sports medicine physicians for a couple of years when in the summer of 1994 I saw my first case of heat exhaustion. It was late in the day during the 1994 Bud Light Florida Beach Volleyball tournament on Ft. Lauderdale beach that we began to see them. This was an armature tournament and the players presented with very hot and red skin, not sweating after playing for hours and the muscles in their extremities (arms and legs) were fibrillating. We immediately administered fluids, cool towels and called 911 to transport to the local E.R. for I.V. fluids an evaluation. Luckily, no one died.
This brings up a good point, this was an amateur tournament and they didn’t have the knowledge or experience to know much about heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Luckily we were there in the medical tents and were able to handle it. But what about your teenage son or daughter and their high school coach? How well trained is the high school coach and assistant coaches in the prevention of heat exhaustion? Does the coach know what to do to help prevent heat exhaustion of heat stroke? Do they know what the signs and symptoms are and could they recognize it before it becomes too late? Just remember, they’re coaching your child.

Former coach David Jason Stinson, 37, was charged after 15-year-old Max Gilpin collapsed at an August 2008 practice as the team ran a series of sprints known as "gassers." He died three days later at a Louisville hospital of heat stroke, sepsis and multiple organ failure. His temperature reached at least 107 degrees. Players said Stinson ordered the gassers as punishment for the lack of effort they showed at practice on a day where th temperature and heat index were both 94 degrees. Prosecutors relied on a series of Gilpin's teammates who testified that several teens became ill during the gassers, vomiting or bowing out of the running with ailments.Several medical and athletic training experts also testified for the prosecution, saying Gilpin suffered from exertional heat stroke, which led to his death. One witness, University of Connecticut associate professor Douglas Casa, said Gilpin could have been saved if he'd been immersed in ice water almost immediately after collapsing on the field. Click here to read more on this story

All too often I’ve seen coaches use water as the bait to get their kids to push themselves to the max. They use water as a punishment and a reward and this is utterly stupid and puts your child at risk. Athletes should drink enough water to prevent thirst, not wait until their thirsty to start drinking.
Parents and coaches should also know that dehydration reduces athletic performance. So if a coach is trying to get more out of the athlete, then drinking water and keeping hydrated is critical to top athletic performance. Studies show that athletes who lose as little as 2% of their body weight through sweating have a drop in blood volume which causes the heart to work hard in order to circulate the blood. A drop in blood volume can also lead to muscle cramping, dizziness, fatigue as well as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

If there isn’t a sports medicine professional such as an athletic trainer, certified sports chiropractor or medical physician at the practices or games, then you need to make sure that your children’s coach knows the signs or heat exhaustion and stroke and knows how to properly coach your kids to prevent dehydration. Water is essential for life and no longer should coaches use water as a reward or punishment to get their athletes to push themselves longer and harder.

Exercising during the hot summer can be very dangerous. Make sure your child's coaches have the proper training and take the proper precautions. Make sure the coach and your child knows how important it is hydrate themselves. Make sure they know you get better performance when properly hydrated and make sure they know the consequences for not hydrating.

This isn't one of those issues to take lightly. This is life and death. It's easier to have a hard talk with the coach and threaten to pull your child from their program than to give a eulogy about your child.

2 comments:

Hearing about a coach using water as a punishment and reward is a very hard pill to swallow. I understand a coach wanting to push their athletes, but that can be downright deadly in the wrong circumstances. A coach is supposed to be responsible for their athletes.

I have recently read so many stories of completely unecessary and senseless loss. As a mother of two children it breaks my heart. This sadness is heightened by the fact that there is an affordable product available on the market offered by Fox 40 that can prevent future losses and grief. Fox 40 developed the Heat Alert Mouthguard. This mouthguard changes color as the player's internal temperature reaches 102 degrees and fully changes color when their body temperature reaches 105 degrees. Saving kids' lives is as simple as taking the player off the field for a break and rehydration when their mouthguard changes color! Follow this link for additional information regarding these mouthguards right from the Fox 40 website.

About Me

Dr. Todd
M. Narson graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic in 1990 and is a Diplomate
of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (DACBSP). One
of only 240 DACBSPs in the country; 1 of 10 in Florida and the only one
practicing in Miami-Dade County, FL. . In 2011 Dr Narson was granted
anInternational Chiropractic Sports
Science Diploma (ICSSD)by
the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic (F.I.C.S.) and is the only
chiropractor in South Florida with such international credential.Dr.
Narson was a member of the COPAG international sports medicine team at the XVI
Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, October 2011.During his tenure at the Pan
American Games, he worked with teams from all over the Western hemisphere
including Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Peru
& Mexico.

Dr.
Narson has lived in South Florida for over 30 years. He is a 2-term
past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports
Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and has been on their governing
board for 8+ years. He was honored as the recipient of the coveted Chiropractic
Sports Physician of the Year award in 1999-2000.

Dr.
Narson was also a credentialed treating physician in the Poly-Clinics at the20th
Central American & All Caribbean Sport Games (XX Juegos Deportivos
CentroAmricanos Y Del Caribe), Cartegena, Colombia.

Dr.
Narson in inventor and developer of the Narson Body Mechanic N6, a soft tissue
"multi-tool" used for Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilizations
techniques such as FAKTR and others. He has been an M1 & M2 certified
Graston Technique(r) provider for the past 10 years and is trained in FAKTR
advanced soft tissue mobilization & rehabilitation techniques.

Along with Allen Miller, Dr. Narson has co-authored the paper: Protocols
For Proprioceptive Active Re-Training Boards (balance boards).
Published in Chiropractic Sports Medicine Magazine; the Journal of the American
Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, Vol 9, No. 2, May 1995 pp 52-55.

Having
chiropractors associated with hospitals was unheard of here in Florida until
1994 when a small group of chiropractors were credentialed here in South
Florida. As some of the first chiropractors in the country to have such
privileges, Dr. Narson was part of the original group accepted into the
Chiropractic Division at Golden Glades Regional Medical Center.

Coining
the term: “Natural Sports Medicine” Dr. Narson has been
educating personal trainers at local gyms and health clubs for several years in
including well known clubs such as Club Body Tech, Crunch & David
Barton’s (Original) Gym in South Beach.

He was medical director
for the 1998 Pan American Race Walk Cup held in Downtown Miami
&

He also served as Medical
team member and treating physician for the 1999 Pan American Tae Kwon Do
Regional qualification Tournament for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

Meet Director/treating
physician for the Sydney 2000 Para-Olympic Qualifier/USA Open-Power
lifting held in North Miami.

In
1994 Dr. Narson was asked to join the professional boxing team of Don
King’s light weight contender: Lamar “COSHISE” Murphy and was named
“Team Physician”. Providing the fighter with performance enhancement training
techniques, nutrition and chiropractic care, Dr. Narson worked with the boxing
trainers and traveled with team COCHISE Murphy around the country during his
1995 quest for the WBC lightweight title.

Coors
Lite, Gatorade, Jose’ Cuervo and Jiffy Lube were a few
of the sponsors of large sporting events such as beach volleyball, triathlons
and professional NASCAR racing that have credentialed Dr.
Narson as an on-site treating physician. Dr. Narson has also been
included on the sports medicine teams at the Miami Grand Prix, the Florida
Sunshine State Games as well as other national and international
sports competitions.

Dr.
Narson has had the privilege of being invited to treat the cast and crews of
the Broadway Shows: Les Miserables, The Rockettes, & Damn Yankees. To
date, Dr. Narson has spent over 1000 hours working “on field” with athletes at
various sporting events from local regional athletes, to world class Olympians
& professionals.

Sports
medicine is on the cutting edge of healthcare, Dr. Narson uses his experience
and education with athletes and sports injuries to treat all patients, not just
athletes. Dr. Narson feels everyone deserves the knowledge of a
sports medicine physician, because everyone, in their own way is an athlete as
some level.

Dr.
Narson practices in Miami Beach with his partner and wife, Dr. Corey
Narson. Drs. Narson has lived in Miami Beach since 1993 where they
also raise their children.

Dr. Narson is an active triathlete and member of the South Florida Triathletes Hammerheads triathlon club. He is holds a 1st dan blackbelt in shotokan karate.